Events in deep space are very intriguing and mesmerising where things are constantly forming and destroying all the time and one such occurrence is an exploding star or supernova.
In their new discovery, astronomers have identified a supernova, SN Zwicky, so warped that it appeared as multiple images from space.
SN Zwicky is a Type Ia supernova, which Caltech said, involves a star going out with a bang.
According to the California Institute of Technology, "it's not something miraculous but an effect known as gravitational lensing, which happens when gravity from a dense object in space distorts and brightens the light of an object behind it."
Scientists have observed that the gravity of a neighbouring galaxy has an impact on the supernova.
In the research published in the journal Nature Astronomy, astronomers wrote that an event such as this is among the "biggest challenges in astronomy as it entails catching two very rare phenomena— catching the transient signal of a stellar explosion in a distant galaxy and observing it through a nearly perfectly aligned foreground galaxy that deflects light towards the observer."
This phenomenon was long debated among experts and was first identified by genius Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
Christoffer Fremling, an astronomer at the Caltech Optical Observatory said: "I was observing that night and was absolutely stunned when I saw the lensed image of SN Zwicky."
"We catch and classify thousands of transients with the Bright Transient Survey, and that gives us a unique ability to find very rare phenomena such as SN Zwicky."
The Bright Transient Survey is research being conducted at Caltech, the "largest spectroscopic supernova survey ever conducted," the website noted.
"These are dying stars that end their lives with a light show that is always the same in brightness from event to event," a new release form Caltech read.
Study co-author Joel Johansson said: "This type of supernova lets researchers see further back in time because they are magnified."
Johansson said: "Observing more of them will give us an unprecedented chance to explore the nature of dark energy."
The study's lead author Ariel Goobar said: "Rare occurrences like SN Zwicky also help scientists probe the amount and distribution of matter at the inner core of galaxies— and could even help uncover secrets of the universe."
"What are missing components needed to model the expansion history of the universe? What is the dark matter that makes up the vast majority of the mass in galaxies?" Goobar said.
"As we discovered more 'SN Zwickys' with ZTF and the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory, we will have another tool to chip away at the mysteries of the universe and find answers."